✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper plus a pair of free tickets to a London event sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper


Sign up by Email or Facebook.

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we sent newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Turning tips into memories

Get started Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • About us
  • Tickets
  • Membership
  • Get Started
  • Membership
  • Tickets
Get our exclusive content
+ choose a pair of free tickets from our edit of favourite events
Theatre

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Other Palace Theatre review ★★★★★

21 Jan 19 – 16 Mar 19, Mon - Thu 7.30pm, Fri 5.30pm & 8.30pm, Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical brings spontaneous song and silliness to the West End's The Other Palace

By Lucy Brooks on 23/1/2019

2 CW readers are interested
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Other Palace Theatre
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Other Palace Theatre
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Other Palace Theatre review 4 Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Other Palace Theatre review Lucy Brooks
Improvised theatre, comedy and oddball musicals are everywhere at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but it's no secret that only Showstopper! succeeds in combining the three to winning effect.


This improvised musical has been touring for many years, astounding fans along the way. Having won a following with regular stops at the Southbank's Udderbelly Festival and run at the St James Theatre and Lyric Theatre, Showstopper! then became the first improvised show to score a West End run. Now it's back for 2019 with a run at The Other Palace from January to March.


To the uninitiated, a spontaneous show sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Big shot musical theatre producer 'Cameron' (cue knowing titters) phones to say he needs a new musical, pronto. And so it is up to the audience to come up with setting, musical influences and, most hilariously, title. Expect silliness and punning a-plenty as, based on the whims of the audience, seven seasoned performers make up a musical.




We ended up watching a lesbian love story set in Nashville. Audience suggestions were whittled down from Hogwarts to Wormwood Scrubs, before it was settled on a Tennessee setting. Then, from shouted out requests, we decided that the show should have musical numbers in the style of Hamilton, My Fair Lady, Come From Away and Book of Mormon. Then the audience took to Twitter in the interval to decide how the second half played out.


In the wrong hands it would be agonising watching, but the sheer talent and stupendously quick-wits of the Showstoppers performers create intricate, all-singing, all-dancing musicals time after time. And, while it pays to be a musical theatre fanatic who can pick up on the in-jokes and references, the on-the-spot premise is silly enough to amuse anyone.


The resulting production might not quite have the soaring hitis of a Lloyd Webber show, but the quality and enjoyment factor is always high. Best of all, with fringe-priced tickets (rather than three figure West End prices) you can come back again and again and always have a different experience.


Click here to book your tickets

by Lucy Brooks

What Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Other Palace Theatre review
Where The Other Palace Theatre, 12 Palace Street, London, SW1E 5JA | MAP
Nearest tube Victoria (underground)
When 21 Jan 19 – 16 Mar 19, Mon - Thu 7.30pm, Fri 5.30pm & 8.30pm, Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Price £20 - £50
Website Click here to book

Up to £26
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, The Other Palace Theatre
Booking closed
22 Jan 19 - 16 Mar 19

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

See all tickets

Most popular

UK Disneyland? Paramount Theme Park, Kent. Photo: Paramount
Everything you need to know about UK Disneyland, Kent's London Resort
Ring in 2020: London's Best New Year's Eve Parties
Ring in 2020: London's Best New Year’s Eve parties to book early
Things to do in London this weekend: 13 – 15 December
Things to do in London this weekend: 13-15 December

Editor's Picks

London Theatre Guide: best plays on now in London, 2019 (Photograph: Peter Lewicki)
London Theatre Guide: best plays on now in London, 2019
Things to do in London this weekend: 13 – 15 December
Things to do in London this weekend: 13-15 December
2

Fringe Theatre

Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Musicals

Comedy

You might like

  • Still from film of Mary Poppins: West End show returns to Prince Edward Theatre

    Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre London

  • Fionn Whitehead, Will Poulter and Asim Chaudhry in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

    Black Mirror: Bandersnatch – everything you need to know

  • Woody and Bo Peep in Toy Story 4

    Toy Story 4 review ★★★★★

  • Emilia, Vaudeville Theatre

    Emilia, Vaudeville Theatre review ★★★★★

  • Katja Khaniukova, Irek Mukhamedov in Broken Wings, part of She Persisted, photo Laurent Liotardo

    ENB, She Persisted Review ★★★★★

  • Betrayal: Tom Hiddleston. Photo by Marc Brenner

    Tom Hiddleston in Betrayal, Harold Pinter Theatre review ★★★★★

  • The Culture Whisper team
  • What is Culture Whisper membership
  • Corporate membership
  • Give a gift membership
  • Retrieve a gift membership
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs

BECOME A MEMBER TODAY
TO CONTINUE TO ENJOY CULTURE WHISPER

You’ve clicked to view the best of our content that we
save exclusively for our members.

If you liked what you saw, subscribe from just £15 and get
unlimited access to our unique culture service as well as
all of our membership benefits.

BECOME A MEMBER ×

Want a pair of free tickets every month?
Upgrade to Gold Whisper now
and save 10% with GOLD10.
Become a premium member today.

UPGRADE NOW ×